Find your fashion artifact: LUGO Persona Lookbook

Remai Modern’s must-attend art party returns March 15 as LUGO Persona. This year’s theme blurs the lines between fact and fiction, encouraging guests to explore different sides of themselves through unique styling and wardrobe.

We encourage you to picture yourself in a monochromatic black or white outfit—like a blank canvas—showcasing a pop of colour or an item of special significance that tells your story. This single “fashion artifact” could be anything that resonates with you, from a cherished accessory to a handmade creation.

Get ready to share who you are—or aspire to be—by weaving personal memories and style into one unforgettable look. Then get ready to experience an evening of large-scale performances, unexpected moments of artistry, tempting bites by some of Saskatoon’s best restaurants, and remarkable spaces that transform the museum for one night only.

Creative Directors Molly Schikosky and Aldeneil Española have returned to create the LUGO Lookbook once again. Continue reading to explore the Lookbook for fashion inspiration, Española’s deeper dive into this year’s theme, and useful tips for making the theme your own.

Still not sure what to wear? As long as you choose something that makes you feel amazing, there’s no wrong outfit.

The Fashion Artifacts

By Aldeneil Española Jr.

Come out! It is time to celebrate the arrival of spring, once again. This year’s LUGO Persona invites us to bring our personas to the stage. A persona is the character that an individual projects to the public eye. Fashion and Persona have always been a synonymous affair—a presentation of who we are and who we try to be. Often, we focus on what people see of us, but this time, we want you to show us what you have seen within you. Previous LUGO Lookbooks drew inspiration from altogether-ness to the sunsets and sunrises as inspiration, but this year, I present a new methodology: the Fashion Artifacts.

Artifacts and found objects hold significance in shaping history. They preserve knowledge and stories that reveal the values, beliefs, and aesthetics of a society, particularly before written records. These objects can be tools signifying human ingenuity, memorials to collective experiences, challengers of historical narratives and so on. Artifacts are commonly displayed in art spaces worldwide, including Remai Modern, often on plinths in white cubes: too precious to touch. We want to inspire you to reimagine this and invite you to bring a fashion artifact that tells your story.

Fashion styling exemplifies how objects carry our stories. Fans and parasols, for example, remind me of my childhood. Growing up in the Philippines, the sun is a not so friendly friend—it gives so much life, but the heat can be unforgiving. One of the moments I treasure are the afternoons I’d spend with my grandmother in the province, where we sat in the hot, humid air fanning ourselves lazily as we ate mangoes she grew in her backyard. Or the times we’d venture to the market, huddled under a parasol to shield ourselves from the blazing sun. These simple tools reflect the ingenuity Filipinos cultivated to coexist with the sun’s intensity, turning the hot days into opportunities for connection and shared memory. If you ever visit the Philippines, don’t be surprised if someone hands you a fan and/or a parasol—it’s more than a tool; it’s an invitation to step into our rhythm of life, to understand how we’ve learned to laugh, linger, and live alongside the heat. You’re welcome to experience this yourself: hold the fan, feel the breeze you create, and practice the art of turning moments into togetherness. As a Filipino we don’t just tell you about our culture, we let you live it.

A striking photograph of three elegantly dressed individuals sitting on a modern staircase, exuding confidence and style. Each person wears unique white and black outfits adorned with intricate accessories, including lace, pearls, and beaded embellishments.

Similarly I started collecting headscarves when I moved to Canada. My scarves signify the deep relationship I have with my hair. As a teenager, I developed a condition called alopecia areata; my hair suddenly fell out in patches one morning. For a 14-year-old who has to go to high school, this was very traumatic, but that experience has taught me to appreciate and honour my hair. My hair eventually grew back two years later and what began as covering my head out of embarrassment became a way to honour my journey. Today, I collect silk scarves and wear them proudly. A recent experience I treasure was when a friend said, “I love that you wear scarves—it’s like your crown.” My scarves empowered me through hardship and now it helps me share my story through candid honesty. This further transformed how I viewed objects as a tool of storytelling.This kind of interplay between person and object, the everyday items that have become vessels of identity and resilience, is what we want to highlight in this year’s theme.

For LUGO Persona, attendees are invited to wear black or white outfits—like the plinths that carry precious objects—to showcase an artifact that personifies a piece of their life. Your fashion artifact could be anything: clothing, an accessory, a book or even your hair! We want to hear your stories; stories like the ornamental fan inherited from your grandmother, a pair of seashells your lover picked up on the East Coast, or the crystal headpiece your mother hand crafted that frames your head lovely.

Fashion artifact tips:

Reflect on a pivotal moment in your life—a time that shaped who you are today. Bring an item that reminds you of a life changing experience that you want to share.

Have you inherited a family heirloom? A treasure passed down through generations that carries the weight of your family’s history and heritage. Remember, the item does not have to be clothing or accessory, it could be anything that tells your story.

Do you or someone you know create? Consider bringing something handmade, by you, a family member, or a friend, as your artifact.

Stay curious and explore the world around you. Visit thrift stores, or artisan shops, and ask vendors about the stories behind their items. Engage with artists and creators. Ask where they find their inspiration and/or what drives their craft. Be a storyteller, not just for yourself, but for others also.

Lastly, and most importantly, have fun! This is your chance to present a story and step into a world of imagination. Picture who you want to be for the evening and bring that vision to life. Maybe this Persona only exists for one magical night at LUGO—embrace it!

LUGO Persona’s Fashion Artifacts theme aims to create an experience where fashion and connection take centre stage, sparking authentic conversations. Your story matters, all of our stories matter. Now more than ever, our community needs interactions like: “Where did you get this?” “Oh, this? Well, let me tell you a story.” Come prepared to share a story, and be open to seek and embrace others’ tales. A persona, the character we project, is meaningless on its own. The real magic comes when we connect and our individuality highlights the common experiences we share as people.